The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-20

An Encouraging Increase in the Fish
cries Industry.

cries Industry.
Speciol Correspondence Of the Jacksonville
(F1aJ Times Unfona
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16ZThe officials of
the United States Fish Commission offer the
following statement as to some of the fish
cries of Western Florida:
With its extensive sea and gulf coast, and
its great interior water supply, Florida has
an abundance of food fishes easily accessible
to nearly every portion of the State. For a
long time the fishing in Florida waters was
done by the farmers and settlers for home
consumption, while with the growth of the
larger towns, local fishing Industries arose
simply to supply the immediate neighbor-
hoods, and small traffic with Cuba gradu-
ally sprang up. The most important fish
cries of Florida, however, are but ten or
fifteen years old
The mullet occurs everywhere about the
coast, and for large part of the year is the
most abundant and the most easily secured
of the fishes. In season IL is an excellent
food fish, ranging in weight from one to hive
pounds
After giving description Of the various
kinds of fish caught, the expert says:
There is q large supply Of good oysters
it being estimated that there are more than
IL, 800 acres of edible oysters in the waters
of Florida They occur in natural beds in
the salt and bracbish waters of the bays of
the northern part of the State, on the east
and west coasts. Along the shores of the
southern part of the peninsula are large
reefs of a small oyster known as the "cove
OYSTER" or tree oyster" the latter name
referring to their growing upon the tide
washed roots of the mangrove. These oYs-
tiers are SO small that they have no CONNER
cial value. Apalachicola has been doing a
fhn
oysters of that vicinity. Most of the fresh
oysters of Florida are consumed locally.
The river fisheries of commercial import
ance are confined to the st. Johns river,
where shad are taken il considerable num-
bers During the last few years, however,
the catch has been small, and the supply
seems to be nearly exhausted.
statistical statement connected with the
report gives some interesting facts, by way
of comparison relating to the growth and
extent of the fisheries of Western Florida,
from which. your correspondent takes the
following:
In 1880 the whole number of fishermen in
the State was 2, 1874; according to this new
statement there are now 9, 700 fishermen in
Western Florida alone. In 1880 there were
2S5 Shoremen all told; now there are 400 in
Western Florida. The total number of YES
sells in Florida in 1880 engaged in the fish
cries was 142, valued at spas, 200, the num-
Der of boats 740, valued at s15, 558; the value
of minor apparatus s21 1923, and the addi-
tional capital invested $685. There are
now in Western. Florida alone 211 vessels
employed in the fisheries with a value of
1855 755; 1,061 boats valued at $22, $50;
minor apparatus having a value of s3S, l40;
and additional capital invested 1853, 255. In
1880 the total capital of the entire State in
vested in the fisheries was $685., 644 as
against $489, 900 now invested in such in
dustries in Western Florida alone. The
fish product of the entire State in 1880 had
a value of S666,870, whereas the Western
Florida fish product has reached a value of